BMW Leather Stiffness

[kdubski]

Hi All,

I am used to detailing newer cars, so I have dealt with many newer BMW's and have felt the stiffer leather.

I was a little surprised when I purchased my 2004 BMW M3 and felt the stiffness of the leather as well. I did the leatherique treatment in the peak of summer, however the feel of the leather didn't change much to the touch.

A few weeks ago, I did a Lexus ES350 and couldn't believe the plushness of the leather following leatherique. I guess you could say I'm a little jealous that my car's seat's aren't as soft!

Is this just how older BMW leather is?

[Bruno Soares]

I think most modern BMWs, at least the not super expensive ones, use some environment friendly leather that is completely fake and therefore won't feel like real leather. It kinda looks like leather but it's not the real deal and will feel stiffer and probably not benefit much from something like Leatherique.

[ChrisT]

On the one BMW I had the ‘leather’ seemed more like pleather. Cows would protest it being called leather.

[Desertnate]

Did you look up the VIN on a VIN decoder to ensure it's actually leather?

I had a '99 E46 3-series with the fake leather called "Leatherette". Stuff wore like iron and looked just like leather; even smelled a little like leather. No one could tell the difference.